Concert Review: The Vortex Tour: The Roots and Erykah Badu
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Artist:
It was a dark and stormy night...actually it was only windy, but ominous clouds were in the air,whenThe Roots and Erykah Badu were set to take stage in Norfolk, VA.
The show started at 8, and I arrived sometime around 8:30.
The Roots had taken already stage, and had enlisted one hell of a sousaphone player, "Tuba Gooding Jr." to join the crew.
The highlight of their set for me was a take on "You Got Me", with a duration somewhere along the lines of fifteen minutes. Now, being that The Roots and Ms. Badu were performing together, I had been anticipating this well known collabo between the two sets...and was disappointed initially to find out that Badu wasn't going to contribute her half to the song. Alas, the guitar works (and vocals) of Captain Kirk made up for the loss of Badu (how, I can't put into words) but he was breathtaking, and damn sexy if I may say so.
Everyone in The Roots Crew was really in high form, with Black Thought's clean, powerhouse vocals being memorable.
Then came New Amerkyah...a two hour long set filled with songs from the new album and classics a plenty.
I don't think I've ever seen a woman command the stage like Erykah.
Her black on black ensemble (tights and puff dress) was a nice contrast to her 4 backup singers clad in grey wrap-a-rounds. Ms. Badu had her own set-up stage front including laptop, tuning forks, sitting chair, thermos of unnamed beverage, various small percussive accountrements, and stand up microphone.
Poised behind her were the backup singers, staggered, two per side.
Sequentially behind the back-up singers were from right to left, dj/technical dude, bongo drum man,guitar player, bass player, standard drummer, keyboardist.
Selections from the new album included Amerykahn Promise, Me, The Healer, My People, and Soldier.
Erykah explained the meaning behind the album's title, the album is named after a documentary, 4th World War that demonstrates the power people have in resistance to violence.
She delivered On & On, Otherside of the Game, Orange Moon, Bag Lady, and the highlight for me-Green Eyes-amongst others.
Erykah was relaxed, beautiful as ever,and on point with her delivery. Her voice was absolutely amazing--I had yet to hear her in person--for the entire duration of the two hour show.
One note, she did ask where she was performing, I'm hoping in homage to Kanye, and asked if she was in Greensboro, NC...then she came back with "Ohh..I'm in VA, that explains it".
The only complaint I have is that once ackowledging VA she prounounced our city incorrectly-phoenetically its Nor-fuk, nor Nor-folk, but all in all thats forgivable.
Now I'm perfectly primed for the next album-Return of the Ankh-that we heard should be ready for release sometime in July or August.
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